So as not to show any spoilers I have not included a synopsis, however, if you want to find out more about the story, just click on the book image, or to read more about both book and author go here.

If you don’t really want to read any major spoilers, then you can tease yourself a little more, by reading the first few lines of the story … here.

‘”Works” sounds so grand, doesn’t it? Oh, everything. I started off doing pastiches, watercolours, copying famous paintings. Used to sell them in Hyde Park on a Sunday. But latterly it was more … woodcuts. Prints. Nature and nurture.’ Sun flickered into the room, reflected off a plane high, high above, and her green eyes flashed hazel-gold. ‘But it was a long time ago. And having children isn’t conducive to being the next Picasso, you know.’

She stopped as though recalling something. ‘Anyway. She’s out in India now and she really has made a difference. The area where she helped build the school in Cherthala has equal attendance rates for girls and boys now, and last year we – she, I should say, she did it all – raised enough money to ensure every school in the area is on the mains system for water. It’ll save about five thousand lives a year. It’s things like that – she’s very driven, when she gets the idea in her head, you see.’

Paperback Edition Pages 66 and 67

…

As this was a Goodreads ‘First Reads’ competition win, a complimentary paperback copy of ‘A Place For Us’ Part One, The Invitation, was sent to me by author Harriet Evans and publisher Headline Publishing Group.

This will in no way influence any comments I may express about the book, in any blog articles I may post. Any thoughts or comments will be my own personal opinion and I am in no way being monetarily compensated for this, or any other article.

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Whilst the first extract doesn’t appeal to me I did find the second interesting. Perhaps not interesting enough to make me want to buy a copy of the book but certainly interesting enough that I’d pick it up were I to see it in the library.

Whilst in itself, this the first of four individual books which make up this story, is full of character detail and sets the scene nicely for what is about to follow, I really think that the book should have been published as a single complete novel, right from the start. The single book has already been released in Australia, but won’t be available here for some time. I have decided that I am really not a fan of ‘serial publishing’, it’s a bit too ‘magaziney’ for my liking.

I quite like the first extract, as I used to love checking out the pavement art sellers in Hyde Park and along The Embankment. There is some great untapped talent out there, if you can separate it from the not so good!

Both teasers sound interesting and just add to the intrigue set forth in your previous posts about this book. I look forward to your review when you finish it!

I’m nearing the end of Duma Key by Stephen King. Here’s a teaser from page 570:

“I was going to faint. At the same instant I realized this, I realized why: I had stopped breathing. I told myself to inhale, but for one terrible second, nothing happened. My chest remained as flat as a page in a closed book. When it rose at last, I heard a whooping sound. That was me, struggling to go on with life in a conscious state.”

In the first part of ‘A Place For Us’, the characters are all introducing themselves, in preparation for them all coming together for a family celebration and a game changing announcement! The characterisations in themselves have been excellent, although I am not certain that alone, they are enough to make this a viable independent short story. Nonetheless, some great writing!

I have added a couple of Stephen King books to my list just lately, athough I am still in two minds about ‘Duma’. It is quite a chunkster of a book and a couple of other reviewers have commented that it does take a while to get going, although they have then gone on to rate it highly.

I am terrible for holding my breath when I am in a particularly stressful or worrying situation, although it has never got so bad that I have actually fainted. I am not a ‘fainter’ by nature and on the odd occasion when it has happened, I have always been able to predict it, so have been in a position to lie down, rather than simply hit the deck without warning!

That I can relate to your teaser words, makes them so much more real and important somehow.

Back with my teaser from page 83 of The Book Of Beasts by John and Carol E Barrowman, the third book in the Hollow Earth trilogy.

Carik set her quiver, her bow and a hunting knife on a rock that jutted out from the far wall like a tongue. She cupped her hand under the water that was trickling down the cave wall, and mixed a poultice of moss, mud and a powder she took from a pouch under her tunic, before caking the mixture liberally on her blistered hand.

Thanks for popping back to take part in Teaser Tuesday, I really appreciate it and always enjoy checking out the books you feature.

I’m not sure that ‘The Book Of Beasts’ is one I would enjoy and it does sound as though this is a series which needs to be read in order. However, I am intrigued by your teaser lines and the synopsis is definitely alluring. The special connection which twins have, obviously plays an important part in the story and I love the fact that the animare (this seems to translate as the Italian for animate) can enter paintings at will and bring them to life.

I hope that you are enjoying (enjoyed) the book, it has received some very mixed messages in the ratings and reviews.

I am almost finished with the book now, as it was no more than a short story, at a mere 131 pages. As a study and lesson in building out characters, this is definitely a winner, even though I shall need to invest in part two of the saga, if I want to know what happens next.

You know I always appreciate your comments, so thanks for stopping by.

I do hope that you managed to find time to check out a couple of the links.

If you enjoy your books full of well drawn and described characters, then this is definitely one for you.

I don’t think I will be giving anything away to say that this is very much a story of the times. The end-game is very firmly set in the 21st Century, although there are one or two flashbacks to the late 20th Century just to set the scene.

I don’t know if you have ever read anything by Irish author Maeve Binchy, but this style of writing is very reminiscent of hers. There is a high standard of in depth characterisation, which it has been a joy to read.

There is a real cliffhanger of an ending, which might just make it suitable to be described as a self-contained short story, although to appreciate all of the early groundwork and scene-setting laid down by author Harriet Evans, I would need to read the rest of the story.

It is such a shame that Harriet (or her publishers) chose to publish this book in segments, I feel that they would have achieved much more traction if they had waited for the full length saga to be published, early 2015.

My personal opinion only and still a great read.

Thanks for checking out this time’s post, I always appreciate your comments.

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